After extending Lauri Markkanen to a hefty extension, the Utah Jazz have kept busy in free agency by signing another shooter. The Jazz have agreed to a four-year, $15-million contract with Ukrainian forward Svi Mykhailiuk, according to Adrian Wojnarowski on ESPN. The sharpshooting forward has played for the Los Angeles Lakers and the Detroit Pistons. Last season, he was a member of the Boston Celtics championship squad. While this signing may not make as big a splash as the Markkanen extension, the Jazz have added a solid weapon to their bench and strong veteran presence.
Meanwhile, subsequent reports have added another intriguing wrinkle to the signing. Mykhailiuk may have signed a contract for four years, but only his first year, worth $3.5 million, is guaranteed. The rest of his contract runs until 2028, and the Jazz have a team option in the final year, per Keith Smith in a post on X, formerly Twitter. With this contract, the Jazz can let him go to clear roster space.
The Jazz's outlook
The Jazz are in the middle of rebuilding after blowing up the team in 2022 by trading Donovan Mitchell to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves. With Mitchell and Gobert, the team had become a consistent playoff team, posting excellent regular season records. However, they had never gotten over the hump in the postseason, having only advanced past the first round once.
After the two trades, the team fell to the bottom half of the competitive Western Conference, marking their rebuild. Still, they have received a key piece in Finnish forward Lauri Markkanen, and they have tried to surround him with quality players. Despite the trade rumors to the Golden State Warriors, Markkanen decided to stay with the Jazz. He signed a five-year, $238-million contract extension with the Jazz in the offseason.
Markkanen's development
Now, the team hopes Markkanen can realize his full potential as a stretch big and centerpiece for their offense. Former Cavs teammate Collin Sexton can run the offense, with another offensive-minded player in Jordan Clarkson to pick up the scoring, if needed. They've also acquired power forward John Collins from the Atlanta Hawks to fill the lane and score the ball in the paint. Meanwhile, center Walker Kessler took over Gobert's defensive responsibilities. Kessler was in conversations for the NBA Defensive Player of the Year last season, though ultimately Gobert won the award.
While Gobert and Mitchell have found playoff success with their new teams, the Jazz don't want to lag behind too much. Can they help Markkanen develop into the best version of himself? Can the Jazz's latest free agency signing Svi Mykhailiuk provide a punch from the bench? Fans will have to tune in to find out.
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